Reviews

MVP Baseball 2004

Thankfully, unlike the Dynasty modes found in the rest of the EA line, here you only have to concern yourself with keeping your team strong and happy. You don't have to worry about TV contracts and concession stand revenues, which is cool, because I would have had no idea what to charge for a pretzel in 2108.

Also new this year is online capability. Once again, the PS2 crowd wins out, as they'll be the only console gamers allowed into EA's hallowed online lobby to hook up with other players, set up tournaments, and download updated rosters.

There are still some things that keep this from being the perfect baseball game. While the graphics are top-notch -- players are immediately recognizable, motions are smooth and the animations are realistic, and the stadiums and fans are more detailed than last year (although I have to wonder about the odd Goth-looking chick who seems to have primo seats in every ballpark) -- there is some framerate trouble at times. It doesn't affect gameplay, but it does kill some of the buzz of playing such an otherwise graphically splendid game. On the audio side, things are more sketchy. A lot of lines end up seared into your brain from overuse, while too many comments are just off. A clean hit, for example, will be called an error.

There are also some less frequent, but more serious bugs. Oddly configured stadiums can get some strange reactions from fielders. Centerfielders in Fenway Park, for example, can't get balls hit into the tiny triangle in dead center where the Green Monster connects with the stands. They'll just spin their wheels against the adjacent wall while runners zip around the bases. Again, it's a rare occasion, but one that can definitely affect the outcome of a game.

Baseball has long been the weakest link in EA Sports' line. With MVP 2004, the virtual action on the diamond no longer takes a back seat to the action on the gridiron, court, or ice (or pitch, green, or track, for that matter, when you consider the company's strength outside of the Big Four sports). With improved and deeper gameplay, this sophomore baseball effort ranks along with the best the company has released.